Peugeot 308 XSE HDI 2008 Review

Overall rating: 3.0/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 4.0/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.0/5.0
Safety: 3.0/5.0
Behind the wheel: 3.0/5.0
X-factor: 3.0/5.0

About our ratings

Peugeot is a brand that remains committed to its own way of doing things. That's both a strength and a weakness. While many will argue that competitor Renault is gravitating towards the mainstream, younger upstart Peugeot (both companies are over a hundred years old) subscribes to the view that different can be better.

The company did 'experiment with convention' in the 307, but with its successor, the 308, Peugeot has returned to the novelty value standard in some ways.

The car on test is the 308 XSE HDi auto -- the midrange model between entry-level XS and high-level XTE, with 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine driving through a six-speed automatic transmission. As a combination, this car's engine and transmission together match anything else available for the money in terms of driving ease, economy, comfort and enjoyment. Presuming you like the way diesel-powered cars drive.

The engine is highly responsive, with little lag. It's also relatively quiet (by diesel standards) and showed up the larger Ford Mondeo we tested during the same week for NVH -- although Ford's transmission seemed a little smoother. Still, the Peugeot box is streets ahead of some auto transmissions in French cars of a bygone era -- like four or five years ago. There's engine braking when you want it and the changes are both quick and fuss-free.

Average fuel economy for the week was 8.3L/100km which was the result of a mix biased more towards gentle open-road driving, but with a bit of thrash and peak-hour commuting thrown in for good measure.

Away from the highways and more on the by-ways, the 308 is something of a luxury cruiser, by the standards of above-$30K small cars. In other words, it's comfortable and quiet, but not an out-and-out sports sedan -- or hatch, in this case.

Initial steering response seems slow, particularly on faster bends, but once the 308 is committed, it plants itself and the driver can wind off a bit of lock. Steering feel is not what you call sporting, but there's weight in reasonable proportion. The ride is more compliant than we experienced recently in the 207 SW XT HDI, but it's still no magic carpet and it's possible the 308 may ride better with the standard 16-inch wheels -- rather than the optional 17-inch alloys fitted to this particular vehicle.

From the driver's seat, the steering wheel is set too high and at its highest setting, barely leaves clearance for visibility of the instruments. This is a question of personal preference, but the laid-back arrangement of the instruments will be an annoyance for some, although it doubtless works for others. In mitigation, the white-faced instruments display pale grey at night and are very restful on the eyes.

The cruise control, with some familiarity, is easy enough to use, but first-time users can be confused by the shared controls for the speed limiter.

There are the usual gripes with placement of handbrake lever, transmission's sequential-shift gate and audio volume knob -- all located left of the cabin's centre line. Rain-sensing wipers and auto headlights are nice features to have in a vehicle at this price.

As a family car, the 308 offers a practical solution to packing as much (people or goods) into a small car, as humanly possible. In the rear, there's immense headroom for even tall adults, plus reasonable leg and knee room -- just not as proportionally immense as the headroom, but suitable for average-size adults nonetheless.

Passengers in the rear will appreciate the two HVAC vents and the small drop-down storage bin in the rear of the centre console -- it's probably an ashtray in other markets. A clip-in panel for extra storage is located on the parcel shelf and the ski-port through the rear-seat centre armrest incorporates two cupholders.

Peugeot designers have festooned the 308 with a bundle of nice detail features around the stylish and well appointed cabin. Chrome is applied to the door handles, handbrake knob, gear shifter and plinth, instrument and vent bezels. The door-pulls are finished in a mock brushed aluminium and the soft plastic of the dashboard and upper door moulds feature a carbon-fibre texture. All of this sounds busy, but it looks good.

The front seat centre armrest can be tilted and slid fore/aft, so it's convenient and comfortable for those who like to rest their elbows somewhere, without hindering the driver's access to gear shifter and handbrake. Headrests and seats are very comfortable and well designed.

Child safety seat anchorage points in the rear are concealed by plastic plugs, which is an elegant touch only rarely found in cars priced at this level. The electric fold-in mirrors were a good tell-tale that the car was locked -- because in our busy lives, it's easy to walk away from the car without recalling or registering whether it's locked or not.

It's not all roses though. A sunglass-holder located above the driver's door displaces an assist grip that would normally be located there. It's debatable that there's any benefit in having the sunglass-holder there, rather than in the conventional location above the mirror. And as with the 207 driven recently, the glovebox in the 308 isn't large enough to accommodate the owner's manual, which consequently resides in the door bin, sliding up and down with each braking or accelerating manoeuvre. That plainly detracts from the pleasure of driving the 308.

HVAC controls are very easy to use, but we suspect the air conditioning is not necessarily any more effective than it was in the 207 XT HDi SW tested recently. Unfortunately, it was not possible to say for certain, since the weather was relatively mild.

Finally, the test car was blessed with a deodoriser and fragrance refills in the glovebox. It's a good idea, but the coconut fragrance quickly became overpowering. Perhaps the scent must be as strong as it is for cars driven by smokers. Non-smokers would likely prefer something a little less aromatic.

Toting up the pluses and minuses, the 308 is a small car with almost medium car spaciousness and Euro-style cachet and refinement. The exterior styling may not be everyone's cup of tea, but nor would you call it hideous or bland. There are concessions owners may need to make if they commit to buying the 308, but on balance, the Peugeot is a decent car with much to offer for the money.

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